White Rose
by RavenTempestShadowhunter
Summary: Nico di Angelo is new to America and to kindergarten. He meets a new friend on the playground named Thalia Grace. But when he introduces her to Bianca, he realizes that no one else can see her. AU, Thalico, rated for swearing, insanity, and character death.
1. The Innocent

**I don't own Percy Jackson or Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day. I do own Karen Edgerly, Mr. Pickering, Bryce, and Matthew.**

**Chapter 1 – The Innocent**

_Summer has come and passed  
The innocent can never last  
Wake me up when September ends  
Ring out the bells again  
Like we did when spring began  
Wake me up when September ends  
_– Wake Me Up When September Ends_, Green Day_

The autumn air was cold, and Nico could almost smell snow in the air. He pulled his jacket closer and tucked his nose in against the wind. He hated winter. Even at five years old people made fun of him for being "emo", though he didn't think they really knew what it meant. Hell, _he_ didn't know what it meant. And Bianca wouldn't explain it to him, she just assured him that he wasn't. And that was good enough for him. His sister was always right.

But despite people insisting that he was "emo", and picking at the long sleeves he wore, he really didn't like long sleeves. He liked to be able to run around outside in his t-shirt (but still in jeans, he'd never liked shorts), and winter made that difficult.

Also, it made his knuckles stiff, and that made it difficult to play his game. And no matter what they said, Mythomagic _wasn't_ a baby's game. He wasn't a baby. He was five.

Bianca said it was okay to still be a baby sometimes, though, so he supposed it was. Just not at school.

He'd been so excited to go to school. He was smarter than a lot of his classmates, he'd already been able to read when he started kindergarten that year. He loved reading, especially about the monsters and gods he already knew about from his game. That was how he'd learned, actually. He'd gotten tired of needing Bianca to read him the cards, and decided that either he'd have to memorize each card based on its picture, or he'd have to learn to read.

He'd ended up memorizing the cards anyway, but that was beside the point. And his teacher, Ms. Karen, had been very impressed.

Ms. Karen was the nicest lady Nico had ever met, even if Karen wasn't really her last name. He'd overheard the principal talking to Ms. Karen. He didn't know what they'd been talking about, but the principal, a big, beefy, red-faced man name Mr. Pickering, call Ms. Karen _Mrs. Edgerly. _But Nico didn't like that name, it wasn't nice enough for Ms. Karen, so he never called her by it. Ms. Karen had black hair and smiling eyes, as Bianca liked to call them.

Nico blew on his hands to try to warm them. He glanced across the playground. A fifth grader named Bryce was shaking another kid upside-down for his lunch money. Nico remembered his first day, the one he'd been so excited about. Until Bryce had put him in the exact same position that this poor boy, who Nico now identified as Mathew from the first grade, was in. Nico had learned to bring a lunch to school a few days in.

He didn't like school anymore. The other kids didn't like him because he was different. He had moved to America just three months before, and although his English was very good due to Mythomagic and the American television that Bianca loved so much, his accent still left something to be desired. Sometimes his classmates would give him words to say. One of their favorite things to do (when they were in a good mood) was try to teach him to speak without the accent. They especially liked giving him words that began with "h", because he always dropped it. He hated it. Or rather, 'ated it.

"Hey," Nico heard, and looked up to see Bryce standing in front of him flanked by two cronies (cronies had been Bianca's favorite word for weeks after she'd heard it in a television show). "Still playing that baby's game?" Bryce asked, smirking. His cronies chuckled.

"No babies," Nico muttered, looking back down at the figurines spread across the cold ground.

"I'm talking, idiot," Bryce snapped. He knelt down and grabbed the collar of Nico's jacket. "Do you understand my words?" he asked slowly, mockingly.

Nico didn't answer, and the crony on the left went behind him and shoved him. "Answer."

Nico glanced back up at Bryce. "I understand," he said.

Bryce laughed, letting go of Nico's collar. "_Understand_," he said, trying and failing to roll the _r_ like Nico had. He shoved Nico back and Nico fell, sprawling on the ground. Bryce picked up one of the figurines. "Who's this?" he asked with a sneer.

Nico sat back up. "Athena."

Bryce snorted and threw the figurine at Nico. It hit Nico's jacket. "That's so stupid."

"Is no stupid," Nico muttered, picking up the figurine. He leaned forward to pick up the others, but Bryce grabbed his hand.

"Learn how to speak English," Bryce said. He squeezed Nico's wrist and bent it backwards.

It wasn't the first time Bryce had done this, and Nico knew how it would end if he didn't react. The first time he'd tried to pretend it didn't hurt (even though it did, Bryce was strong) and had ended up having to wear gloves until the bruising went away. He didn't tell Bianca or his father, they had too much to worry about already. And the teachers wouldn't care. Bryce had told him so.

He whimpered an "ow" and tried to pull his hand away. Bryce and his cronies laughed and Bryce let go. He stood up and led his cronies away from Nico, probably to terrorize other small children.

Sitting there, holding his wrist and hoping that it didn't bruise, Nico wished that they had never left Italy. Not for the first time either. He sniffed and wiped away the tears forming in his eyes. The one good thing about winter was that he could pass off tears as his eyes watering from the cold.

"Hey," came a voice above him. He looked up. Standing there was a girl about his age. She had black hair and electric blue eyes. The combination was almost terrifying. "Are you okay?" the girl asked.

Nico nodded furiously and began picking up his Mythomagic.

"I'm Thalia," the girl said, sitting down in front of him. She picked up one of his cards.

He snatched it out of her hand. "No touching," he snapped.

"Sorry." Thalia looked down at the other cards and figurines. "What is this?"

"Nothing."

Thalia raised an eyebrow. For a five year old, she was very good at it. "Okay, then." Then she cocked her head and frowned. "How come you talk funny?"

"I am not America."

She giggled. "Ameri_can_, silly."

"American."

"I wasn't making fun of you," Thalia said. "Where are you from?"

He glanced up at her. She really wasn't making fun of him. "Italy."

Thalia's face lit up. "Oh, that's so cool! How do you say _hello_ in Italian?"

Nico stared at her. Was this girl serious? "_Salve_," he responded. "_Ciao_, to friends."

"What?"

He sighed and sat back. "You have _hello_, yes?" She nodded. "You have _hi_ to friends, yes?"

"Oh," Thalia said, drawing out the word. "So _salve_ is like _hello_ and _ciao_ is like _hi_?"

Nico nodded, and could help the small smile that crossed his face.

"So really, what are you playing?"

He looked down at the figurines and cards, now stacked in neat piles. "Mythomagic," he responded, looking back up at her.

"What is it?"

"It is game for god and monster. Of Greek."

Thalia nodded. "I don't know what that means," she said, laughing.

Nico reached forward and picked up a card. "Manticore," he said, handing it to her. "Put down." He motioned for her to place it on the ground. When she had done so, he picked up another card and put it down opposite the Manticore card. "Apollo." He pointed to points on the cards. "You win."

Thalia looked at both of the places where he was pointing. "Because Manticore has a bigger number."

He nodded. "Attack," he said, pointing at the number of Attack Points on the Manticore card. "Defense," the number of Defense points on the Apollo card. "I first, Attack," the Attack points on the Apollo card, "Defense," the Defense points on the Manticore card.

Thalia looked up at him and grinned. "I get it. So if I win, what do I get?"

Nico searched through his pile of figurines until he found the one he wanted. He held it and the Apollo card up. "Apollo."

"That's really cool! Okay, let's play."

Nico grinned and dealt the cards, five to each of them.

By the time Ms. Karen started calling for their class to go in, Thalia had started getting better and had beaten Nico twice out of the five games they'd played. "That's really fun," she said as she helped Nico pick up the cards.

Nico smiled and nodded. "Yes, fun." He put the cards and figurines in their boxes and tucked them all into his bag. Swinging the bag over his shoulder he began to walk back to the school.

"Wait," Thalia called, and he turned around. "I don't know your name."

"Nico."

Thalia grinned. "_Ciao_, Nico," she said, waving.

"Ciao, bella," Nico responded. Thalia laughed, giving him a look that showed she didn't know what that meant, and that she didn't particularly care. He waved back and Thalia turned to go back to the playground. Within a few seconds she'd gotten lost in the crowd.

Nico walked back into the classroom smiling.

* * *

"Bianca!" Nico called as he opened the door to their small apartment. He dropped his bag on the floor, keeping a hold of the smaller one with his Mythomagic in it, and ran into the kitchen. Bianca went to a different school than he did, and her's got out earlier, so she'd already gotten home.

She was in the kitchen eating a snack. His father was washing dishes in the sink. Nico had forgotten that it was Wednesday, his father took the night shift on Wednesdays.

"Ciao, Arachidi," his father said, drying his hands on a dish towel. "How was school?" he asked in Italian.

Nico wrinkled his nose at the nickname. It meant "peanut". He had never been able to figure out why his father called him that. He only knew it was something that his mother had called him.

"Good," he responded. He climbed up on a stool and placed his Mythomagic bag on the floor next to him. His father put a plate with a chocolate chip cookie and a glass of milk in front of him. Chocolate chip cookies were the only things that his father could cook. "I made a new friend!" Nico said, dipping his cookie into his milk.

Hades chuckled. "Really? What's your friend's name?"

"Thalia. I taught her how to play Mythomagic! She's really fun."

"Do you have a crush on her?" Bianca teased.

Nico wrinkled his nose. "Ew, no. Yuck. She's just my friend."

Hades laughed again and went back to the dishes. "You should invite her over."

Nico's face brightened. "Okay! You'll really like her."

"I'm sure," his father responded. "But first you should do your homework." He looked up at Bianca. "Both of you."

"I'm not the one who never does his homework," Bianca said, looking at her little brother.

Nico groaned. "It's stupid."

Hades chuckled. "Homework in kindergarten _is_ stupid, but you still have to do it."

Nico huffed, jumped off the stool, and walked into the hall to get his bag.

When he picked up the bag, he winced. His right wrist still hurt from Bryce bending it. It was bruised, too. That would be fun to have to explain to his father.

But slinging his bag over his shoulder, he thought of Thalia. For the first time since the first day of school, he was excited to go back.

** I've been talking about this for a few weeks, and I'm so excited to finally be getting it out there. I haven't started the next chapter, but I'm hoping to be able to post it on Monday.**

** For those of you who haven't read any of my stories before, hi, I'm Jez. Welcome. I warn you that my stories aren't always happy, if you want proof just go read Love, Tears, and Suicide (or just the title, it sort of says it all) or The Sadness of Mistakes.**

** If you don't have an account on here and you can't follow this story, I upload on Mondays. Except now, of course, which is a Wednesday. And sometimes I upload on Tuesdays if I can't get to the library on Monday. My parents don't want me to have an account and they monitor my wifi at home, so I have to upload at the library. So on holidays I can't upload. If that's the case then I will upload at the next possible moment.**

** I try to upload every Monday, that doesn't always happen because I am in high school, and soon I'll have a job, too.**

** I also have another story going on, it's called Along the Way, it's an AU Thalico story. It's much more romantic than this one is. It's a crime story, basically Thalia and Nico dated in high school, had a nasty break up, and now Nico is a detective and Thalia's missing and he's the one who has to find her.**

** After I upload this I'm going to upload a long one-shot called Terrible, another Thalico AU. Set in high school, Thalia and Nico have hated each other for years until they get assigned a project and things get…complicated. Completely cliché, I love it so much.**

** So yeah! I love the idea of Nico being from Italy and not being able to speak English fluently. This story isn't going to be romantic, probably. It's more of an angsty depressing type of thing. It includes insanity, too, which is always good.**

** I looked up Mythomagic and wasn't able to find any good rules for it, so I made up my own. It's pretty basic. I know the books say that the rules are really complicated and I'm sure I could come up with some better and more complicated rules if I tried.**

** I hope you liked the first chapter, and come back on Monday for the second! Hopefully.**

**I've seen authors on FanFiction say that they take requests, I think I'd like to try it. So if you have any requests just PM me, I can't promise to do it but I'll definitely get back to you on it. Thanks!**

** People who have read Roses On Your Grave or Along the Way know this, but for those of you who don't I always do a Quote of the Week. It's something that I've heard somewhere that sounds really weird when you say it by itself. Usually it sounds pretty funny in context, too.**

** Quote of the Week: "Sweetie, no one else puts black powder on their Christmas list." My brother was the only one who turned in his Christmas list (no idea why, it's still the middle of November) and he wanted to know how Mom knew it was his. He's a ten year old boy. It shows sometimes. Or all the time.**

**Go read Terrible and review!**


	2. Never Never Land

**I 3 1D. PJ. MR: Thank you! I hope you don't lose interest because of this chapter, I feel like it's sort of boring.**

**baka: Yes sir.**

**olivenater2000: Thanks, here it is!**

**Mrs-diAngelo25: Thank you! I loved writing Nico not being able to speak English, I thought it was so adorable. I've been in that position, actually, when I'm trying to explain something and the other person doesn't get it. I went to this thing in fifth grade with my class and two other fifth grades. It was a Greek pentathlon, we basically reenacted the ancient Olympic games, just with less competitions. I was in Sparta. It was awesome. Anyway, one of the schools was from Quebec, and I kept trying to talk to them, and they didn't speak English. And then there were the ones in our bunk room who pretended that they didn't speak English when our teacher told them to go to sleep.**

**Coqui's Song: Thanks! I'll write bad Hades when it's important to the story, and sometimes it's fun, but I really like writing nice Hades. I actually had a really hard time making sure that the five year olds acted like they were five, so I'm glad I did a good job. **

**SummerSpirit18: I know, Nico sort of reminds me of my baby cousin, except he's three. He's the most adorable thing ever. Especially when he's telling me about all the ornaments on the Christmas tree. My mom says "Ciao bella" all the time, I thought it might be something his father would say when he and his sister left for school or something.**

**CatchingFire1: Sorry for the confusion, it's explained in this chapter. Everyone can see Bianca. It's Thalia who no one else can see.**

**I don't own Percy Jackson or Storytime by Nightwish.**

**Chapter 2 – Never Never Land**

_I am the voice of Never, Never Land**  
**The innocence, the dreams of every man**  
**I am the empty crib of Peter Pan,**  
**A soaring kite against the blue, blue sky,**  
**Every chimney, every moonlit sight**  
**I am the story that will read you real,**  
**Every memory that you hold dear_

– Storytime_, Nightwish_

"Ha!" Thalia exclaimed, pointing at Nico. "I get your Demeter!"

Nico muttered something in Italian and glared at her before grudgingly handing her the statue. Thalia had gotten remarkably good at Mythomagic over the past two weeks. She understood tactics and how to read her opponent, and now she could beat him five times out of ten. Nico blamed it on the fact that he still had trouble reading English, ignoring the fact that he could recite the Attack points on every card in his sleep (and according to Bianca, he had)

He still hadn't asked her to come over yet. He wanted to, he really did, but he felt like there was some reason why he shouldn't. Maybe it was the fact that their apartment was still strewn with boxes and loose items, and it wasn't a particularly attractive place to begin with. Maybe it was the fact that none of his family spoke English fluently, and his father was the only one who could have a real conversation. Nico got along pretty well, and Bianca was picking it up fast. But none of them were perfect.

But he felt like it was something else. For some reason he just knew that bringing Thalia to his apartment would be a bad idea.

But he pushed away the bad feeling and smiled a smile that only a five year old could pull off. "You come to house, yes?"

Thalia laughed. "What house?" She loved his accent. She didn't make fun of him, but she loved to hear him talk, so he didn't get angry when she laughed.

"Me. Me house."

"_My_," she corrected. That was another reason why he didn't get angry: she was helping him improve.

"My house. You come, yes?"

She giggled again. "When? Today?"

Nico nodded. "Papa say you come."

"Okay," Thalia agreed, smiling. "What's your Papa's name?"

"Hades."

"Ades? That's a weird name."

Nico shook his head. He cursed his grandparents for giving his father such a difficult name. And it wasn't really, it was just that he couldn't say the h sound, and it drove him mad.

"_H_ades," he said, breathing out on the h. He'd learned it was the best way to make the sound.

"Oh, Hades."

Nico nodded. "Hades."

Thalia laughed again. "No, you had it right before. How come you can't even say your own dad's name?"

He huffed and looked back down at his cards. "What your Papa name?"

Thalia blinked and a shadow passed over her face that made her look much older than she was. "I don't have one."

"You no have Papa?"

She shook her head. "No, he went away."

"You have Mama?"

A look of fear crossed Thalia's face, but Nico didn't notice it. "Of course," she answered. "I have a Mama."

"What your Mama name?"

"Lillian," she answered softly.

Nico had noticed that Thalia had a tendency to do this. For a few seconds she sounded older, not _old_ old, but older than five. She would talk about things like her family, or something completely random even, and it would seem to remind her of something. Like something from a past life. But then she would smile and be the normal five year old girl that Nico knew, and he wouldn't comment. Half the time he thought he imagined it.

"Lillian is good," Nico said, trying lighten the mood.

Thalia looked up at him and smiled, and again he thought he'd imagined the moment of sadness. "What about your Mama? What's her name?"

He shook his head. "No. My Mama…" he trailed off, searching for the right word. "La mia mamma è morta."

"I don't know what that means."

"Morta," he repeated, growing frustrated. "No Mama. Morta."

Thalia stared at him. Times like these were rare, but they happened.

Nico put his hands on his face and sighed harshly. "Gone. No come back."

"Like, she left?"

"No," Nico sighed. "No left. Gone. Gone gone."

Thalia cocked her head. "Dead gone?"

He shrugged. "Morta."

"Dead."

"Dead."

"Sorry."

Nico nodded. "Thank you for sorry."

Thalia giggled. "You're welcome."

"You come today? Yes?"

She nodded. "Yes. Now let me kick your butt again."

"Kick my butt?" he repeated slowly

Thalia sighed. "Beat you. In Mythomagic. Come on, let's play."

* * *

"Bianca!" Nico called when he opened the door and entered the apartment, Thalia trailing at his heels.

"In the kitchen!" she called back in Italian.

Thalia tapped Nico on the shoulder. "What'd she say?"

Nico didn't answer, just waved her along behind him with his hand. When they entered the kitchen, Bianca was sitting at the counter reading a book. She looked up when they entered. "Hey," she said, smiling. "How was school?"

Nico grinned. "This is Thalia." He pointed to his new friend. "She doesn't speak Italian." He turned to Thalia. "Bianca," he said, in English now, and gestured. "My sister."

Bianca's eyes searched the area he'd been pointing at. "Um, Nico?"

"What?"

"There's no one there."

Nico scrunched his face up in a frown. "What? She's right here."

Thalia looked very uncomfortable. She opened her mouth to say something, but Bianca cut her off.

"It's okay to have imaginary friends, just make sure you tell people they're imaginary. If you don't they'll think you're crazy."

"But…" Nico began, but stopped and shook his head. His sister was messing with him. "Sorry, I should have told you." He wasn't about to let her get the best of him. He turned to Thalia. "Come. My room, I see."

She shook her head. "No, _I _see. You show."

"I show," he corrected. "Bianca, can Thalia stay for dinner?" he asked in Italian.

His sister nodded, and he took his friend's hand and led her to his room.

She was just messing with him. Thalia was right there. He could see her. He hadn't made her up.

Nico chuckled to himself at his sister's silliness and took out his special collector's edition Mythomagic cards to show Thalia.

**I'm sorry if this chapter was boring. You guys are going to have to bear with me for the next chapter or two, but I promise it gets better. The next chapter especially, it's mostly just Bianca thinking about Thalia. And I'm having a little trouble getting Bianca to sound like she's seven. But I think I've got it.**

**Anyway, thanks for your patience. I promise this will be a really interesting story, but it won't get there for a couple more chapters.**

**I will be uploading every Monday, hopefully. I've almost finished the next chapter, so that will definitely be up next Monday. And I'm trying to come up with a Thanksgiving one-shot. I'll let you know next Monday if I'm going to have one.**

**Again, I'm taking requests from people who are interested. Someone asked me if they could leave a request in a review because they don't have an account, so yes, you can leave your request in a review. Or in a PM. It doesn't really matter.**

**Quote of the Day: ****"Are those people walking a llama?" My mom and I were in the car and we drove past a parking lot and there were these people there, I don't know what they had but it really did look like a llama.**

******Review and go read the newest chapter of Along the Way!**


	3. Angels Have Faith

**CatchingFire1: Oh good, I'm glad it's not boring. I think this one is a little less boring, but it's still pretty slow. Thanks so much!**

**SmartieBlondie: Thanks.**

**WOW: Hehe. Keep reading.**

**Kayla Daughter of Thanatos: Yeah, be patient. We'll get there eventually.**

**SummerSpirit18: I really can't tell you anything about Thalia without giving away the whole story. And it'll stop being cute pretty soon. After they stop being five, really.**

**Mrs-diAngelo25: I know, I love five year old Nico. Thanks for the recommendation, I've been meaning to look up acapella versions of Green Day since I read your review. I just haven't had time. I will soon, though!**

**LostBoysForLife: Thank you! I like the idea of Nico not being able to speak English. I can't tell you anything about Thalia without giving away the story, but they're not demi-gods. It's an AU. A human AU.**

**Guest: Will do.**

**Fiona Siona: Thank you! God, don't start crying now. Just wait 'til the end.**

**I don't own Percy Jackson or A Demon's Fate by Within Temptation.**

**Chapter 3 – Angels Have Faith**

_Angels have faith**  
**I don't want to be a part of his sin**  
**I don't want to get lost in his world**  
**I'm not playing this game_

– A Demon's Fate, _Within Temptation_

Bianca sat on a bench, watching her younger brother. They were at Central Park. Nico was playing Mythomagic under a tree, laughing at something his imaginary friend had said. He had asked Bianca if Thalia could come with them, and Bianca had told him that she could. At the time she hadn't thought it strange, but now she wondered why he would bother asking? It wasn't as if she would have a problem with him bringing someone who didn't exist.

Sometimes she wondered whether or not Nico really realized that Thalia didn't exist. Bianca had never had any imaginary friends herself. She didn't know what it was like. Honestly, she thought it was sort of ridiculous. Talking to air, as if it could talk back to you.

But it seemed to for Nico. She'd heard him having conversations with Thalia, in his room or even in the car when their father was driving them to the park. Somehow he'd come up with the idea that Bianca's English wasn't good enough to have a conversation with Thalia, so he translated everything Thalia said into Italian, and everything Bianca said into English.

And that was another thing. His English was improving. Nico was a fast learner, and he was very smart, but she hadn't thought he'd get so good at English so quickly. Sometimes when he was talking to Thalia he'd correct himself, but it was like someone had corrected him first and he was just repeating what they'd said.

But that was ridiculous. Bianca shook her head and chuckled at herself. Thalia didn't exist. She couldn't correct him, any more than she could play Mythomagic with him.

Bianca was a very pretty girl, and mature for seven. She spoke better English than her brother, although not quite as good as her father. She'd started taking English class in first grade, so she'd already had a year of it before they'd come to America. She was as intelligent as her brother, but much better at making friends. She was also bigger. Bianca had her mother's warm brown eyes and dark hair, but her father's height. Nico had their father's obsidian eyes and hair, but he was very small, like their mother had been.

"Watcha thinking about?" Bianca looked up and smiled to see her friend Zoe standing in front of her. She stood up.

Zoe Nightshade was thin as a twig and taller than Bianca, which was saying something. She was strong, especially for a seven-year-old. Bianca had no doubt that she'd be able to pick Nico up and swing him around above her head. She had long jet black hair that she always kept in a braid. She did archery, although Bianca had never seen her shoot. Her eyes were like stone. Hades had once said that he dreaded the day Zoe entered high school. Bianca didn't quite understand what her father had meant, but Zoe was terrifying at seven.

Zoe also almost never smiled. Hades thought she would make a good guard at the Tower of London. When he'd explained to Bianca that the guards were famous for never moving and had shown Bianca a picture, Bianca agreed, but said that Zoe would look terrible with one of the hats the guards wore.

The two girls had become friends the second day of second grade, when Bianca had spilled chocolate milk in Zoe's lap. She'd apologized profusely and offered (well, tried to offer) to buy Zoe a new shirt, but Zoe hadn't understood a word Bianca was saying (Bianca had a tendency to speak in Italian without realizing it when she got flustered) and had taken Bianca's tray out of her hands and set it down on the table next to Zoe. By the end of lunch the girls were inseparable.

Bianca just shook her head in answer to Zoe's question. "Come on, let's go climb!" Zoe exclaimed, leading her friend to the Alice in Wonderland statue just a few yards from where Bianca had been sitting. They loved to climb on it. Bianca liked to play it safe and go no further than the highest mushroom, or possibly Alice's lap. But Zoe would climb to sit on top of Alice's shoulders and sometimes even her head, being the daredevil that she was. Admittedly Alice's shoulders weren't much higher than the mushroom, seeing as she was sitting on it, but Bianca thought it was impressive. She didn't think she'd ever be able to climb that high.

"Who's your brother talking to?" Zoe asked as she sat on top of Alice's left shoulder and watched Nico placing a card on the ground in front of him and chatting with no one.

Bianca shrugged. "Nico has friend. Not real friend. Like…" she searched for the right word. "Like ghost," she finished.

Zoe looked down at her friend. "An imaginary friend? He made it up?" Bianca nodded. "Oh. That's cool."

"Her name is Thalia."

"My mom used to read me stories about these goddesses. One of them was named Thalia. I didn't like her. She was the goddess of funny things or something. 'Cept she was the goddess of funny things in, like, stories and stuff. 'Cause they were all story goddesses. I think. It was kinda confusing."

Bianca laughed. She hadn't quite understood what Zoe had said, Zoe sometimes spoke too fast for Bianca to follow. But she laughed anyway.

"He play game with Thalia. Mythomagic."

"That weird card game with the dolls?"

Bianca nodded.

Zoe gave a disapproving snort. She thought Mythomagic was a stupid game, though she'd never say so to Nico. Not twice, anyway. She'd done it once before, and he'd sworn at her so colorfully in Italian that his father had to put a hand over Nico's mouth and carry him off to his room.

Dropping the subject, Zoe reached down to tug on the shoulder of her friend's shirt. "Come on, come up!"

Bianca shook her head. "No."

Zoe sighed in her seven-year-old way, leaning her head back and catching herself on Alice's head when she almost fell over. "Chicken," she muttered.

"Not chicken," Bianca protested.

"Yes chicken! Come and sit with me!"

But Bianca folded her arms, closed her eyes, and shook her head. Zoe humphed, but slid down Alice to sit on her other knee next to Bianca.

Opening her eyes and unfolding her arms, Bianca smiled at her friend. "Ice cream?" she asked.

Zoe grinned and nodded. The two girls jumped off of Alice and ran over to where Hades was sitting on a bench reading his book. "Papa, can we get ice cream?" Bianca asked in Italian, bouncing on her toes.

Hades glance up, then marked his page and put the book away. "Ice cream, huh?" he asked, grinning at his daughter.

Bianca nodded excitedly. "Please, Papa!" she begged. Zoe folded her hands and gave Hades her best puppy dog eyes.

Hades stroked his imaginary beard, thinking. "You know," he began, "I saw a coffee shop not too far from here that sells gelato."

Bianca gasped and brought her hands to her mouth. "Like from home?"

Her father nodded. "Let's go there!" Bianca cried. She turned to her friend. "You know gelato?" she asked.

Zoe's face lit up and she nodded. "Gelato's better than ice cream. 'Cept my mom never buys it 'cause it's too 'spensive."

Hades laughed. "We will buy it," he said in heavily accented English. "Nico!" he called across the park. Nico's head jerked up from the cards on the ground and looked at his father, who waved him over.

Nico looked at the air just in front of him and said something that none of them could hear, then gathered up his cards and ran across the park, laughing. When he came to a stop in front of them, he gasped, "I win." He paused, then said, "No! I win!" to the air next to him.

"Both win," Hades said. "Do you want to get gelato?" he asked Nico in Italian, leaning forward on the bench and resting his elbows on his knees.

Nico's smile stretched across his face and he nodded so hard Bianca thought his head would fall off. "For Thalia also?" he asked. Bianca frowned. He was speaking English again.

But Hades just laughed and stood up. He took Nico's hand in his own (Nico still wasn't used to the big roads, Marino, where they were from, didn't have roads like New York did) and led them away. Bianca and Zoe trailed behind.

To Nico's right, Bianca thought she saw a flash of blue. Her breath caught in her throat for a second. Nico had said that Thalia's eyes were blue.

Then she shook her head and almost laughed out loud. No one had eyes _that_ color blue. No one had eyes that looked like the sky had been electrocuted.

It was just her imagination. Thalia didn't exist.

**I liked writing Zoe. And Hades. I have a thing for nice Hades.**

**Everyone keeps asking questions about Thalia. I can't tell you! The only thing I will tell you is that she's not a demigod. But that's it. If I tell you anything else it will ruin the story!**

**I don't know if you understand the chapter names, they're all taken from song lyrics. The lyrics have something to do with the chapter. Sometimes it's pretty loose, but it always has something to do with it.**

**If you want to hear my whining about my Thanksgiving this year, feel free to go read the author's note in the newest chapter of Along the Way - and read the chapter while you're at it. But I will mention that I have at least 24 people coming this year. And I didn't mention this in Along the Way, but one of them is certifiably insane. She has actually spent time in a mental hospital.**

**The rest of them aren't quite certifiable, but they're close.**

**I'm going to upload a one-shot for Thanksgiving tomorrow. It's Thalico, and it's very funny. Not exactly romantic, but sort of. It's called Something To Be Thankful For.**

**Quote of the Day: "There's a piece of brain on the floor. I'm picking it up with my toe." My mom got this brain puzzle for Saturday School and she dropped a piece of it on the floor. My brother asked her if it was squishy. He's such a ten year old.**

**Review and go read Along the Way, and Something To Be Thankful For when it comes out tomorrow!**


	4. Shield You from the World

**Kayla Daughter of Thanatos: I'm sorry, I don't know what to tell you. Everything will be revealed eventually, I promise!**

**Goddess Of Idiots: I hope you had fun at your fair. I explained what Thanksgiving is at the end of the newest chapter of Along the Way.**

**Mrs-diAngelo25: I know, I love nice Hades. I can't tell you anything about Thalia. But things get clearer in this chapter. Or maybe more confusing. Honestly, I'm kinda confused too.**

**Gragra: Thank you! I'm sorry, I can't tell you what Thalia is.**

**SummerSpirit18: I think Zoe would make a great guard at the Tower of London. Except there might be a boys only rule. I'm not sure. I love gelato, too. There's a coffee shop near my house that recently changed owners, it's sort of gone downhill since then but the new owners are Italian and they have a gelato shop in the back. It's soooo good.**

**ntlpurpolia: Thanks, I love that line, too.**

**rabbit448: I can't tell you what Thalia is. But Hades can't see her. He acts like he can because his son is five. He's humoring Nico.**

**I don't own Percy Jackson. I do own Marino, Willrun Middle School, and Miss Greene.**

**Chapter 4 – Shield You from the World**

_Oh, for so long I've tried to shield you from the world__**  
**__Oh, you couldn't face the freedom on your own__**  
**__And here I am left in silence  
_– Forgiven, _Within Temptation_

_**Five Years Later**_

"Ciao Bianca!" Nico said as he entered the kitchen. Bianca looked up from the essay she was writing on the family laptop and smiled.

"How was school?" she asked in Italian.

Nico was practically vibrating. "We started learning Greek mythology!" he replied in English.

Bianca's smile faded. Nico only spoke in English to her when Thalia was around. Over the past few years Nico's English had gotten better. He still had a faint accent, and it got stronger when he got upset or excited, and he was a bit formal, but he was just about fluent.

"We're gonna go to my room. When's Papa getting home?" Nico continued, still in English.

Bianca turned back to the laptop. "He said he'd be home for dinner," she responded. She refused to speak English just for Nico's imaginary friend.

Nico frowned at his sister's sudden change of attitude, but shrugged it off a moment later. He was sure that he would never understand girls. "Okay." He turned and walked down the hall to his room with Thalia behind him.

Percy was lying on the bed when Nico opened the door. Annabeth sat on the windowsill looking slightly guilty. "I tried to tell him to wait outside, but he wouldn't listen," she apologized.

"Your sister scares me," Percy said, turning his head to look at Nico and Thalia.

Nico dropped his bag next to the bed. "You know she cannot see you, yes?" he asked.

"That's the problem," Annabeth sighed. She hopped off the windowsill and stood in front of it with her arms crossed.

Percy shuddered. "One time we were waiting for you, and Bianca came along and _walked through me_. I _hate_ it when people do that."

"At least Bianca tastes good," Thalia remarked, still standing next to Nico.

Over the past few years Nico had come to realize that no one else could see his friends. It had started to become apparent when Bianca hadn't given up the idea that Thalia was an imaginary friend. Nico had realized that Bianca hadn't been messing with him. But it wasn't completely confirmed until one day when they were six. They were walking through Central Park and someone had walked straight through Thalia. She'd begun coughing and complaining that the man tasted like cigarettes.

Being six, Nico hadn't really thought much of it. He was the only one who could see Thalia, and later Percy and Annabeth, but he knew they weren't imaginary. They were real people, they just weren't the same as him or Bianca or Hades.

He didn't talk about them much, but he did speak English for them. He hated the idea that they might feel left out. He hadn't made any other friends, either. He knew that Bianca and his father worried about him, but he couldn't bring himself to leave the friends that he already had, who'd been with him for so long, even if they were different.

And they were so interesting. They could taste people. It had taken Nico a while to understand it, but after a few years he'd figured it out. Now they even had a game – Nico would guess what a person would taste like and Thalia or Percy or Annabeth would tell him if he was right. Some people were easy; smokers tasted like cigarettes, artists tasted like paint, athletes were salty. Some didn't make sense at all; business men and women were lemony, but not always sour. And some people were just random; Nico's teacher at school tasted like grapes, the owner of their apartment building was minty, and the girl who played the flute in the park tasted like dirty socks.

Thalia insisted that each person's taste told something about them, but Nico didn't quite believe her. He didn't see how knowing that someone tasted like dirty socks helped to know anything, except maybe that she had terrible foot hygiene.

They said that Bianca tasted like vanilla. Nico thought that if Bianca was vanilla then he would be chocolate, because they seemed to be opposites in everything else, but Thalia said he was more like mild cinnamon mixed with something creamy. Which was ironic, because he was allergic to cinnamon.

But the sensation of having someone walk through you wasn't particularly comfortable, according to Nico's friends, and he believe them. He'd walked through Percy once, and it was awful. Like he was choking on fog. He'd almost asked if they were ghosts, but decided that that was ridiculous. They could pick things up, they could touch things. Ghosts couldn't touch things. And he decided it might be rude to ask if they were dead. He didn't want to offend them.

Actually, he wasn't quite sure if it would offend them. Especially Thalia. She wasn't the kind of person who got offended easily, or did _anything_ easily. One time he'd asked her to get him a pencil from his desk so he could do his homework, and she done it by crawling across his bed and jumping across to the chair in front of his desk. Which had tipped over, causing her to narrowly miss hitting her head on the bed post, but she still hadn't touched the floor. He wasn't quite sure how she managed it, but one second she was falling and the next she was balancing on the overturned chair with his pencil in her hand.

But he didn't ask anyway, one because he didn't want to risk it and two because he didn't really care. They were his friends, and that was that. If other people didn't like it, well, they could just leave him alone.

Thalia had been around since he was five, and Percy and Annabeth had showed up the next year, a few weeks after the incident with the man at the park who tasted like cigarettes. They were a good group, they worked well with Nico. They were all very different, but like Nico's teacher liked to say, opposites attract. He still wasn't quite sure what that meant, but it sounded good.

Percy had black hair that always looked as if he'd just gotten out of bed, no matter what he did to it. His eyes were the color of the ocean. When he was angry they were a dark green, like a storm at sea, and when he was happy they were tinted gold, like the sun shining on the waves. Nico had lived in a small town called Marino before he'd moved to America, and Marino was near the ocean. He'd loved it there. They'd gone back a few times, and Thalia, Percy, and Annabeth had all come with them. Percy had spent most of his time sitting on the porch, staring out at the ocean. They'd gone swimming, too, and Percy was the best swimmer Nico had ever met.

Sometimes Percy got that sad look in his eyes, the same one that Thalia got, when he was near the water. Nico had never asked about it. All three of them got it, actually. Nico thought it had something to do with their families, which they never talked about.

Percy was the one who Nico did all of his boy things with. They played catch and messed around outside. Nico didn't really like those things very much, but he'd do them every once in a while. Percy didn't like to sit still for too long. He was always pacing or playing with things on Nico's desk. If he had to sit down for too long Nico would swear he would start to vibrate.

Annabeth had curly golden hair and gray eyes. She was incredibly smart. Sometimes she could be terrifying, but usually she was very nice. She was the one who Nico asked for help from on homework. She was the one who would stay up with him for hours studying if he needed it, long after Bianca had gone to bed. Nico hated school with a passion, which his father said was silly because he was only in fifth grade, and which Annabeth said was silly because it was just school. But she made it fun for him with games and rewards.

Thalia understood. That was what she did. She understood. She was the one who understood everything that he needed her to. She was his brick wall. He leaned on her when he needed support and talked to her when he was feeling stressed. Percy and Annabeth were his friends, but they'd never be what Thalia was to him.

Nico sat down beside his bag on the bed and pulled out his homework folder. "I have two math sheets and a map for color," he announced.

"To color," Annabeth corrected.

Percy groaned. He hated school even more that Nico did, which Nico thought was funny, because as far as Nico knew none of his friends went to school.

"Can we at least have a snack before we start talking about homework?" Percy begged.

Annabeth sighed and rolled her eyes, and Thalia chuckled. "I'll go get something. Just finish that, we have a Mythomagic battle to finish," she said to Nico, then opened the door and left.

Yes, he still played.

* * *

Bianca leaned back in her chair and sighed as she clicked print. She wasn't nearly as bad at school as her brother, and she didn't hate it as much as he did, but she couldn't stand English claser father told her it was just because it wasn't her first language. But in reality it was because her teacher always wanted her to find a deeper meaning. She didn't know why someone couldn't write a book for the sake of writing a book. Why did always have to be "dealing with deeper issues" or "sending a message"?

She took her papers from the printer and leaned down to staple them. She turned around to face the kitchen when she heard a noise. It sounded like the refrigerator door closing. But there was no one there.

Bianca sighed and placed the stapled papers next to the laptop on the counter. Nico would tell her it was one of his friends. She'd heard the noises before; doors closing, footsteps, sometimes even people talking. For a while she'd been convinced the house was haunted. But that was ridiculous. Ghosts didn't exist. She wasn't a kid, she didn't believe in fairy tales or ghost stories.

She poured herself a glass of water and thought about the flash of electric blue she'd seen five years ago at the park. She'd never seen it again, she hadn't seen anything. It had just been her imagination. She was sure of it.

But Nico still talked about his friends. There were more of them now. A boy named Percy and a girl named Annabeth. They seemed so real to him.

Their father still humored him. Hades still pretended to believe in Nico's friends. He would invite them to dinner and remind Nico that they couldn't stay over because it was a school night. Like they were real people.

She shook her head and put her empty glass in the sink. Nico needed help, and Hades wasn't about to get it for him. It was up to her.

* * *

Bianca took a deep breath and knocked on the wooden door in front of her. A few moments later a woman with soft-looking dark brown hair and warm light brown hazel eyes and a smile that stretched across her face opened the door. "Hi," the woman said.

"Hello," Bianca said, swallowing hard. "Are you Miss Greene?"

The woman nodded. "Do you want to come in?" she asked, the smile still on her face. She stepped back to let Bianca through.

Bianca stood in the middle of the room twisting her fingers. "You won't tell anyone I'm here, right?" she asked. She'd only met the guidance counselor a few times, and it was mostly in class. In sixth grade Miss Greene had come to their classroom every week to give classes about drugs and alcohol and how to say no. Some people would go to Miss Greene's room once a week to have lunch, but it was usually just the kids who needed it, the ones who caused trouble or who got bullied and things like that.

Miss Greene shook her head, sitting down at her desk and offering Bianca a seat on the couch, which she declined. "Not unless it's something that could hurt you."

"It's not," Bianca promised. "It's about my brother. His name is Nico."

The guidance counselor nodded and smiled again. "I've met him. He's very energetic, isn't he?" She laughed. Nico had started at Willrun Middle School that year. Willrun went from fifth grade through eighth grade. Bianca thought the name was ironic, since their track team sucked.

Bianca grinned. "Yeah. But he…" she paused. She didn't want to make Nico sound crazy. He wasn't really crazy. He just needed help.

"He what?" Miss Greene prompted.

"He talks to people who aren't there." Biana sighed. That made him sound crazy. "We thought they were imaginary friends. But he still has them."

Miss Greene chuckled. "Nico is ten, right?" Bianca nodded. "He's at a transitioning age. He's not a little kid anymore, but he's not a teenager yet. It's not uncommon for ten year olds to have imaginary friends."

Bianca shook her head. "He believes they are real. He thinks they are real people. Like, at home, we speak Italian to each other. But when his friends are around, Nico speaks English. If they were imaginary, wouldn't they speak Italian? If they're from his mind?"

"Not necessarily."

"Miss Greene, he really thinks that these people exist. I can't explain, but I know he thinks they're real."

Miss Greene sighed. "Alright, why don't I talk to him, okay?"

Bianca nodded. "Okay. Thank you."

Miss Greene stood up and smiled again. "You go to class. And thank you for coming to me." She walked to the door and held it open for Bianca.

Bianca thanked her and left.

She would see. She would understand. She had to. Nico needed someone. He wasn't listening to Bianca, and Hades wasn't either. But he would get better now. He could make real friends.

Bianca hugged her books tighter to her chest and walked up the stairs to her first class.

**People keep asking what Thalia is. I can't tell you! The point is for you to not know.**

**I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, everyone who does celebrate it. I did. Mostly. My family's a bit hectic, but that's okay. I'm used to it by now.**

**A lot of people reviewed Something To Be Thankful For saying that they don't know what Thanksgiving is. There's a description and a bit of background at the end of the newest chapter of Along the Way (which you should all read).**

**I didn't mention this on Along the Way, but I'm considering writing another one-shot that corresponds with Something To Be Thankful For. I think it would be Nico telling Percy and Thalia. But I'm not quite sure.**

**So yeah! That's about it.**

**Quote of the Week: "Ollie, why aren't your pants on?" My little cousin decided it was a good idea to dance on the table in his shirt and diaper after Thanksgiving dinner. Later he took off the shirt, too. It was so funny.**

**Review and go read Along the Way!**


	5. Who We Are

**Goddess Of Idiots: Everyone keeps trying to figure out what they are, and I can't wait for you guys to figure it out. I wrote another one-shot for Christmas, it comes after Something to be Thankful For. I'll be uploading it after I upload this chapter. It's called Mistletoe and Gummy Bears.**

**kthulu: Yessir.**

**SummerSpirit18: I'm not going to tell you anyway. Yeah, um, read the chapter. The therapist thing...just read it.**

**Mrs-diAngelo25: Hehe, can't say. Sorry. Yeah, this gets bad and then really bad and then terrible before it gets better. Sorry about the wait, I really did mean to upload last week, but I had a hectic week and everything went poorly and I'll stop now.**

**Gragra: I have a specific plan, so I can only put my plan into each chapter. Sorry. I'll try to upload more regularly.**

**rabbit448: Thank you. I haven't really thought about their other abilities yet, but they'll come up when they need to. I'm so sorry that I didn't update last week, or the week before, I meant to, but time got away from me. I'm sorry.**

**uracow99: In Something to be Thankful For, my Thanksgiving one-shot, Nico's family never celebrates Thanksgiving.**

**I 3 1D. PJ. MR: I don't know, I think there's a hint in here if you squint. Read the chapter, and if you don't get it then read the part with Thalia talking to Annabeth over again very carefully. It's a little bit of a hint. Sort of. If you tilt your head and flip it upside down and inside out, then it's a hint.**

**dont get too close: Thank you! I like nice Hades when he's important to the story. Sometimes mean Hades is more important. I can't tell you anything about what they are, sorry.**

**Chapter 5 – Who We Are**

_What about us? Isn't it enough?  
__No, we're not in paradise  
__This is who we are, this is what we've got  
__No, it's not our paradise  
__But it's all we want and it's all that we're fighting for  
__Though it's not paradise  
_– Paradise (What About Us)_, Within Temptation ft. Tarja Turunen_

"Mr. Cole?" came a crackly voice from above their heads.

Mr. Cole turned from the white board where he'd been drawing a circle cut into sections (they were studying fractions) and called, "Yes?" to the ceiling.

The intercom came again, "Is Nico di Angelo with you?"

_No, absolutely not_, Nico thought. _Really, he's not. I promise._ The last time the intercom lady had asked for him his father had been waiting to take him to a surprise cavity filling.

"Yes he is," Mr. Cole answered, and Nico dropped his head onto the desk. "Should I send him down?"

"To Miss Greene's office, please."

Nico picked his head up, his face red. Everyone turned to stare at him. Getting called unexpectedly to the office was bad, getting called to the principal was worse, but getting called to the guidance counselor's was _social suicide_.

Well, maybe social manslaughter, since Nico wasn't the one calling himself. But either way, Nico was the tiny little Italian boy who still played little kid's card games and never spoke to anyone…he didn't have much left to lose. What was one call to the guidance counselor's?

Nico dragged himself out of his chair, out the door, and down the hallway to Miss Greene's office.

"Hi, Nico," Miss Greene said with a smile when he walked in, despite the fact that he'd forgotten to knock. "Sit down."

She gestured to the couch and Nico sat, folding his legs underneath him and putting his hands in his lap.

"So, your sister came to see me this morning," Miss Greene began. The smile was still on her lips, and Nico found it annoying.

"Oh."

"She says you have some friends that only you can see."

He stared at her, blinking. Why would Bianca go to a guidance counselor for that? He wasn't crazy. They were real.

"Can you tell me about them?"

"They're real," he offered. "I'm not crazy. They're real."

Miss Greene's face still held the smile. "What are their names?"

"Thalia and Percy and Annabeth."

"Are they here now?"

He shook his head. "They don't come to school. They don't like school. Well, Annabeth does, but she doesn't like _school_ school. Just the work. She helps me."

"With your work?"

Nico nodded.

"What about Thalia? Does she help you?"

He cocked his head, thinking. "Yes. But she's a friend-helper. Not a school-helper. She talks."

"And that helps you."

Another nod.

"Does Percy help with anything?"

Nico grinned. "He plays catch with me. And he teached me how to swim."

"Taught," a voice from the corner supplied, and Nico glanced behind Miss Greene to see Annabeth standing next to the door.

"Taught," Nico repeated.

Miss Greene turned around to see where Nico was looking, then turned back to him. "Is someone there?"

He nodded. "Annabeth."

"She corrects you?"

"Yes. They help me learn English. I speak Italian."

"I know. When did you meet your friends?"

He shrugged. "Thalia was a few years ago. And Percy and Annabeth were about a year after her."

Miss Greene leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. "Do you have any other friends, Nico? Other than Thalia and Percy and Annabeth?"

Nico shook his head. "I don't need them."

"But don't you think it would be good to meet new people?"

"No," Nico answered. He didn't like this. No one had ever talked to him about his friends before. He glanced up at Annabeth nervously and saw her smile at him. He smiled back. "People are mean. I don't like them."

"Are they mean to you?"

He shrugged. "Not anymore."

Miss Greene stared at him for a few minutes. Finally she asked, "And Thalia and Percy and Annabeth, would you call them imaginary?"

Nico laughed, and after a few seconds Annabeth laughed with him. It sounded forced, but Nico didn't notice. He shook his head. "No. Bianca think they are imaginary…"

"Thinks," came from the corner.

"Bianca _thinks_ they are imaginary, and Papa. But they are real. You cannot see them. But they are real."

"So why can't I see them?"

He cocked his head, then after a minute he shrugged. "I don't know." He glanced up at Annabeth.

"We don't want them to," she supplied.

"Annabeth says they don't want you to," Nico explained to Miss Greene.

"Is she still here?" Miss Greene asked, glancing behind her as if she half expected to see something.

Nico nodded.

"Why do you think she came to school with you today? If she usually doesn't?"

Nico glanced up at Annabeth, hoping for an answer. But she just stared back at him, her eyes darting to the guidance counselor every now and then as if she was nervous.

He looked back at Miss Greene and opened his mouth to say something, when a voice from his left said, "Don't answer."

He turned to his left to see Thalia sitting next to him. This was getting weird. They'd come to school before, when he needed help or had been lonely, but as far as he could remember they had never come together. It had always only been one of them. And he didn't need help now, he could handle talking to a guidance counselor.

"Don't say anything, Nico," Thalia ordered, and Nico nodded.

"She'll get suspicious if he doesn't," Annabeth argued.

"Nico?" Miss Greene said, but Nico ignored her, too busy watching his two friends.

Thalia stood up. "She'll get suspicious if he does," she countered.

"She'll think he's crazy."

"She'll think he's crazy no matter what he says."

"Thanks," Nico grumbled, but both Thalia and Annabeth ignored him, although Miss Greene continued trying to get his attention.

"If he's careful she won't suspect anything."

Thalia stepped forward. "He's too young, Annabeth," she said, quietly enough so that Nico couldn't hear her. "He'll blow it. We have to wait." She turned around to face Nico. "Don't say anything," she ordered again. "Just tell her you want to go back to class."

Nico blinked a few times. Thalia was very rarely harsh with him, and this didn't seem like something to get harsh about. But he trusted her. So he turned back to Miss Greene and asked, "Can I go back to class now?"

"I'd like to talk to you for a few more minutes. Could you ask your friends to leave for a little?" Miss Greene said. She was clearly shaken, but she hid it beneath years of practiced professionalism.

"Not on your life," Thalia growled.

"Shush, Thalia," Nico said. "Just go. I'll be good, I promise. I won't say anything you don't want me to."

Annabeth took Thalia's arm and very nearly dragged her out of the guidance counselor's office.

"They're gone," Nico announced as soon as the door had shut behind them. He'd never understood why no one else ever heard the doors opening and closing, or the footsteps going down the hall, but he'd learned to brush it off.

Miss Greene smiled. "Okay. Do your friends ever tell you to do things?"

Nico frowned. What did that have to do with anything? "Well, yes. Percy tells me to get things, and Annabeth tells me not to use my calculator on my math homework. Even though it's hard, and I don't remember my multiplicates."

"Your multiplication?"

He'd forgotten how difficult it was to remember the right words when Annabeth wasn't there to help him. "Yes," he said.

"Was Thalia telling you to do something?"

"Yes, she said..." he trailed off. What if this was something he shouldn't say? "Nothing," he finished. "She said nothing."

Miss Greene stared at him for a few seconds, then leaned back in her chair. "Okay, Nico," she said, that smile back on her face. "Do you want me to walk you back to class, or can you manage it by yourself?"

* * *

"Don't worry," Thalia said. She wrapped her arm around his shoulders and gave him a slight squeeze, like she did when he'd had a nightmare. "It'll be okay."

"Yeah, that guidance counselor lady's just bein' nosy," Percy added. He was sitting in Nico's desk chair with his legs stretched out and crossed in front of him.

"But why does she want to know about you?" Nico asked.

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Like Percy said, she's just being nosy. She'll get over soon, and everything will go back to normal. Besides," she continued, giving him another squeeze. "You believe we're real, right?"

"Of course."

"So anything she says shouldn't matter anyway."

"Right." Nico nodded. "It doesn't matter anyway."

**I am so so so so so so sorry that I didn't upload last week. I know I said I would, but I didn't and I feel so bad about it. And I meant to upload Along the Way last week and I didn't, and then I actually wrote the chapter for today to post it, but I saved it on my computer, not my flashdrive. And anyone who's been with me for a while knows that I can't upload at home, only at the library, because my parents don't want me to have an account. So I have to save everything on my flashdrive. And it's a really good chapter, too. Maybe I can get it up tomorrow.**

**I had a really hectic week, what with it being the last week before vacation and all. I had a Biology lab practical on Monday and a Biology exam on Wednesday, and a French quiz and an American Lit quiz on Thursday. But I worked my butt off to get you guys this chapter.**

**I also wrote the Christmas one-shot that I told you guys I would write. It's the sequel to Something to be Thankful For. It's very Thalico, and it involves gummy bears which are even better than Thalico. It's called Mistletoe and Gummy Bears. You should read it. I had a lot of fun writing it.**

**I'm off crutches! I still have to wear a walking cast and my foot hurts pretty bad, but that's okay because I'm off crutches!**

**People keep asking about what Thalia, Percy and Annabeth are. I can't tell you! I really want to, but I can't! Like I told ****I 3 1D. PJ. MR, there's sorta kinda maybe a hint in this chapter. It's in the part when Thalia and Annabeth are arguing. But you really have to squint. And it might just leave you with more questions.**

******Christmas Eve is tomorrow, but I kinda hope you knew that. I asked for a keyboard, the piano kind. I have a piano, but I can't practice without people hearing me. Which sucks, because the only time that I have to practice is either early in the morning or late at night, when everyone is asleep. So I'm really hoping that I get one.**

******We go to church every Christmas Eve, actually we go every Sunday, but the Christmas Eve service is the best. We have tons of candles and poinsettias and there's even a star hanging above the alter. And I love singing Christmas carols, they're so pretty. Especially with the whole church singing, and the organ playing, it's amazing. We have a Christmas Pageant every year, where we tell the story of Jesus' birth. I'm directing this year. And my baby cousin is the baby Jesus.**

******So yeah! I hope you all have a great Christmas, or whatever holiday you happen to celebrate. And if I don't upload anything next week - I'll try to, but I don't know if I can - then have a great New Year's, too!**

******Review and go read Mistletoe and Gummy Bears!**


	6. Reality's Maze

**Goddess Of Idiots: I know what they are, don't worry. But thanks, I'm really trying to confuse people, make them guess, and it seems to be working.**

**I 3 1D. PJ. MR: Out of curiosity, have you ever had hallucinations? You don't actually know that they're not real, at least not at first. _Nico_ is convinced that they're not real, but you don't know that he's right, do you? Just throwing that out there.**

**SummerSpirit18: I've never seen Sherlock or Supernatural, but I think I'll have to start watching at least one of them. Hehe, wait for the end of this chapter. I think you might get even more confused.**

**DezzaMM: Um...can't comment. Sorry. It would give too much away. But I'm glad you liked Mistletoe and Gummy Bears!**

**ThalicoRules5678: Thanks. Eep! Can't tell you!**

**Gragra: Thank you. I would tell you to squint at this chapter, too, but I don't think you'll have to.**

**Pacmayne: I keep thinking that. I would love to see something like this in a movie.**

**Mrs-diAngelo25: Hehe, that's the point. I think the end of this one should confuse you too. Or not, I don't know. I always feel really bad when I can't upload, and then you go and say something like that and it makes me feel better. So thanks. I know, and now I'm out of the cast too! I was an angel for years and years, until I decided I wanted to be a king, and then I was Mary one year and Gabriel another and then the narrator for a few years until I started directing last year, except I had a co-director last year. We use a real baby when we can, but that isn't very often. And by the way, yes, anything is better with gummy bears.**

**athousandbooks: Oh geez, I can't say anything, but read the chapter.**

**Fiona Siona: The problem is that he thinks they're real. He's completely convinced that they're real, and that's what worries people. Imaginary friends are one thing, hallucinations are another. And I'd just like to point out that you can't be sure they're real. Nico thinks they're real, but they're his hallucinations. Just saying. And I'm pretty sure that ghosts and angels are considered mythical. Technically.  
About your review for Mistletoe and Gummybears: You actually inspired the Valentine's Day one-shot. I haven't got a name for it, but it was inspired by your review, when you said that their relationship wasn't based on hearts and valentines and hand-holding. So thanks!**

**annabethandpercy4ever: I'm sorry, I can't tell you!**

**Jageroux: I think that may be one of the best reviews I've ever gotten. Thanks! You can tell me thoughts and suspicions! I like hearing them.**

**CatchingFire1: Thank you.**

**Kayla Daughter of Thanatos: For all you know Bianca could be right, Nico could be crazy.**

**ThalicoRULZ: Not sure where you got "revisiting the past", but that's definitely a new one. No one's thought of that yet.**

**I don't own Percy Jackson or Escapist by Nightwish. I do own Richard and Dr. Nancy Wright.**

**NOTE: The extra letters in Hades' speech are there on purpose. His children have grown out of their accents, but he hasn't.**

**Chapter 6 – Reality's Maze**

_A nightingale in a golden cage  
__That's me locked inside reality's maze  
__Come someone make my heavy heart light  
__Come undone, bring me back to life  
__It all starts with a lullaby  
_– Escapist, _Nightwish_

"Papa, I don't want to talk to her," Nico whined as he tried to pull his hand out of his father's grip.

Hades sighed. He didn't want Nico to talk to the psychiatrist either. But the guidance counselor had suggested it. Apparently his son might have some sort of mental illness. Hades prayed to whoever was listening that Nico would be alright, but for the time being he needed to get Nico into the room.

He turned and knelt down to his son's level. For a ten year old, Nico was very small, less than 4 feet. "Nico, Arachidi," he began, holding his son's arms. "I know you don't want to. But the guidance counselor said that you have to. I'll be right outside the whole time, I promise."

"But I don't like doctors," Nico whimpered.

It was times like these when Hades wished his wife was still alive. Then again, Maria would never let Nico be sent to a psychiatrist.

"She's not like the doctors you've seen before. She's…a talking doctor. She just wants to talk to you, okay?"

Nico bit his lip and nodded.

Hades smiled. "Good. And after this, we can go to the cafe to get gelato. Just answer all of her questions as truthfully as possible. Promise?"

Nico nodded again. "I want cherry," he said, smiling.

Hades laughed and ruffled Nico's hair. "Okay."

"Niccolo di Angelo?" came the call from the doorway, and they both looked up to see a man wearing a pair of blue jeans and a shirt with Captain America's shield on it. The man saw them looking up and smiled at them.

"Go ahead, Arachidi," Hades said softly.

Biting his lip, Nico let go of his father's hands and walked towards the man at the door.

"Hi, Niccolo," said the nurse. "I'm Richard, I'm going to take you in to see Dr. Wright, okay?"

"Nico," Nico said softly.

"Sorry," Richard said, chuckling. He turned and led Nico down the hall to a door with _Dr. Nancy Wright_ written on a plaque. Richard knocked twice and opened the door without waiting for an answer. While Richard stepped into the room, Nico stood in the doorway, holding his left wrist in his right hand.

"Niccolo di Angelo is here for you, Doc," Richard said.

From behind Richard, Nico saw the top of a brown head of hair. The doctor stepped to her left and smiled at Nico. She looked up at Richard and said, "Thanks, Richard."

Richard nodded and left the room, patting Nico on the shoulder as he passed.

"Hi, Niccolo," Dr. Wright said.

"Nico."

Dr. Wright chuckled. "Why don't you come in? Come on, sit down." She waved him in and gestured to the couch. Did every psychiatrist and psychologist and guidance counselor have a couch in their room? And did all the couches have to be so ugly?

Nico took a seat on the couch and Dr. Wright sat in the chair across from him. Nico crossed his legs on the couch and gripped his left wrist again.

"So, Nico, do you know why you're here?"

Nico nodded. "Miss Greene thinks I'm crazy because I have friends that you can't see."

"But you can see them?"

He nodded again.

"So why do you think we can't?"

Nico sighed. This was just like with the guidance counselor. Except this time, Thalia and Annabeth weren't here. "They don't want you to." That's what Annabeth had said, wasn't it?

"Do you know why they don't want me to?"

"I never asked. We don't talk about stuff like that."

"So what do you talk about?"

Nico paused. "Normal stuff," he answered after a moment. "Like school and games. Percy plays with me. And Annabeth helps with homework."

"Are those the only two?"

"No. Thalia, too."

"Does she help?"

"She talks."

"Are any of them here?"

Nico glanced around, then shook his head.

Dr. Wright leaned forward, clasping her hands in front of her. "Nico," she began, "do your friends ever tell you to do things?"

He nodded. "They told me not to talk about them," he answered, crossing his arms in what he hoped looked like a defiant pose.

"Why, do you think?"

Nico blinked. "Well…they didn't say." He narrowed his eyes. "But I trust them. They said no talking."

Dr. Wright leaned back and lifted her hands in surrender. "Okay." She opened the folder on her lap. "Why don't you tell me about school?"

Nico uncrossed his arms and shrugged. "I don't know. It's school."

"Do you like it?"

He considered the question, then shrugged again. "It's just school."

"Do you ever have any problems with anyone."

"Like bullying? No."

"What about when your friends first came? Were you bullied then?"

Nico hesitated, but nodded. "Yeah. There was a fifth grader. He teased me. About my game. He said it was a baby game."

"Did your friends help you?"

"Thalia played with me!" he answered, grinning. "She played Mythomagic with me."

The doctor smiled as if he was a child, but Nico didn't comment.

"Nico," Dr. Wright started, then hesitated. "Sometimes kids your age create friends because they're lonely."

Nico bit his lip but didn't say anything. He hadn't made them up. It wasn't his fault that no one else could see them. He didn't know why, he supposed they just didn't like being seen. But they were _real_.

"And sometimes it's because they want to…protect themselves." She cleared her throat. "What does your father do for punishments? Like if you break a rule?"

Nico blinked. What did that have to do with anything? "Um…he asks me what I did wrong. And then he, um, sends me to my room, or takes away something."

"Does he ever hurt you?"

He cocked his head. "Sometimes if I'm rude to him he spanks me. Or sometimes hits my head. Right here." He pointed to the back of his head.

"And what about your mother?"

"She died."

Dr. Wright nodded. "I know. Do you miss her?"

Well of course he missed her. She was his mother. Even if he didn't really remember her very well. "Yes."

"What about your father? Does he miss her too?"

"Yes. And Bianca miss her, too."

The doctor didn't correct him, and he was about to correct himself when she started talking again.

"Do your friends, Thalia, Percy and Annabeth, do they look anything like your mother?"

Nico blinked at her. Why would his friends look like his dead mother? "No. Bianca does."

Dr. Wright smiled and stood up. "Thanks for talking to me, Nico. Come on." She led him out the door and into the waiting room.

When Hades saw them, he stood up and walked over. "You areh finished?"

Dr. Wright smiled at him. "Actually, Mr. di Angelo, I'd like to talk to you, if that's alright?"

Hades looked down at his son, then back up at the doctor, and nodded. "Of courseh," he said. "Nico, go sit down. I'll be out in a minute," he told his son in Italian.

Nico nodded and went to sit down in the chairs while Hades followed Dr. Wright to her office.

"Please have a seat," Dr. Wright said as she shut the door.

"Is Nico okay?" Hades asked, a worried expression on his face.

Dr. Wright sat down across from him. "Nico believes that these people who he talks to are real." She lay her clipboard down on her lap and looked him in the eye. "Now, there are a few things that could be causing his hallucinations. Some children create people without realizing it to deal with stress. Moving to a new country can be very stressful, especially to someone so young. Losing his mother is also stressful, and growing up without a mother figure. The way Nico has described his 'friends', they take care of him. They help with his homework, they play with him. He may have created them to be the mother he doesn't have. Or mothers, in his case."

"'ow can I 'elp?" Hades asked.

"There's another reason for childhood hallucinations, Mr. di Angelo," Dr. Wright said, ignoring his question. "Nico mentioned that you sometimes spank or hit him."

Hades nodded. "Yes. You call it, uh, corporeal punishment."

"I hope you understand the difference between _corporal_ punishment and child abuse, Mr. di Angelo."

Hades' face changed into an expression of disbelief and anger. "I never 'urt Nico if 'e do not deserveh it," he said vehemently, his accent growing stronger. "I tell 'im what 'e do wrong."

"Alright," Dr. Wright said, raising her hand to placate Hades. "I'm sorry, Mr. di Angelo, I have to do what's best for Nico. And that means exploring every possibility. But I don't believe that leaving him in his current situation will harm him." She picked up her clipboard and flipped a few pages. "Nico was three when his mother died, right?"

"Yes," Hades answered. He was still upset over the doctor's accusation.

"It's unlikely that he remembers her enough for it to be the cause of his hallucinations. I believe that he has created his 'friends' to take his mother's place." She pulled out a pen and a piece of paper. "This is the number of a child psychologist, he's very good. And I suggest you try to be there for you son, do what his friends do. Help him, play with him, let him talk to you. The friends might go away if they aren't needed."

Hades nodded. "Tank you," he said, standing up and taking the piece of paper. "Good byeh."

"Good bye, Mr. di Angelo," Dr. Wright answered with a smile. "And good luck. You have a wonderful son."

Hades smiled over his shoulder and closed the door behind him.

* * *

"He should have been back by now," Thalia said. She was pacing back and forth across the room.

From the bed, Annabeth sighed. "Calm down, Thalia. He'll be fine."

"Yeah, they probably stopped for lunch," Percy added. He was lying next to Annabeth.

Thalia stopped pacing and looked at them. "We shouldn't have let him go. We should have fought his father."

"Thalia," Percy sighed. "We knew this was going to happen. It happens every time. There'll be therapy sessions, and then everything will get bad, and then it'll be okay again. God," he laughed, "remember that girl in, what was it, Los Angeles? The one who got locked up before things got better?"

Thalia shook her head. "That wasn't our fault. She was crazy anyway. We probably made it worse."

"Yeah, and things didn't get better for her," Annabeth added. "She killed herself, remember?"

Percy huffed. "That's not how I remember. The point is," he sat up, "this isn't the worse one we've had."

"Why are you so worked up anyway?" Annabeth asked. "You never get this agitated. What's so different this time."

Avoiding eye contact, Thalia answered, "It's just different."

"It's Nico, isn't it?" Percy said. "He's more important than the others."

Thalia turned to glare at him. "He is no different. No more important. He is…he is young."

Annabeth shook her head. "No. You always start talking like that when you're lying."

Thalia didn't answer, just resumed her pacing.

Percy settled back on the bed and lay an arm over his eyes. "Wake me up when he gets here, will you?"

**So, I tried to get Hades' Italian accent right. I spent a lot of time the other day looking up how to fake an Italian accent. What I got was that a lot of Italian words end in vowels, and a lot of our words end in silent vowels, so Italians pronounce the vowels that they're not supposed to. So instead of saying "because" they'll pronounce the "e" at the end and say "becauseh".**

**I'm sorry I didn't upload last week, I was in Massachusetts. And we had an ice storm yesterday so I could get to the library. We actually had a blizzard and then an ice storm, so we had three snow days in a row.**

**I was debating with myself whether or not to put that last part in, but I decided I should. You guys deserve it.**

**I really like hearing your speculations on what Thalia, Annabeth and Percy are, so if you have any thoughts, feel free to share them.**

**I am out of my cast, I'm so excited! My ankle still sort of hurts because I haven't used it in a while. And my left leg has virtually no muscle in it, so I sort of walk funny. But I can walk!**

**I got three gummy bear nightlights, a pair of gummy bear earrings, and gummy bear ducktape (I looooove gummy bears) so my Christmas was pretty good. I also got a Casio keyboard and a new Irish whistle.**

**I hope you all had a great Christmas. Again, feel free to tell me all of your speculations.**

**Quote of the Week: "I always buy fake blood at CVS." I was sitting at the dinner table, just ignoring my family, and all of a sudden I heard that. My mom was talking to my aunt. I don't know what they were talking about; I don't know if I want to.**

**Review and go read the new chapter of Along the Way!**


	7. Burn All of the Photographs

**Goddess Of Idiots: Read the chapter. That's all I can say. I got a Kindle Touch a few years ago for Christmas, but then I stopped using it after I got my iPod, so my brother and sister use it now.**

**I 3 1D. PJ. MR: Sorry! But read the chapter, it'll help make it less confusing. You can win if it makes you feel better. Again, read the chapter. It'll answer all your questions.**

**WOW: I haven't seen Frozen yet, but my friend did over the weekend and she wouldn't shut up about it. I can't wait to see it.**

**Mrs-diAngelo25: Yeah. The worst part is, the day after I got out of my cast my right shoe broke, because that's the one I'd been using. Yeah, um, gods, well...read the chapter.**

**Larsturbo: I know! And we got another ice storm on Saturday! But I wasn't here, I was in Maine celebrating my best friend's birthday.**

**Fiona Siona: I think I've told just about everyone to read the chapter, but it's really the only way I can respond to most of the reviews. So...read the chapter. But don't gouge your eyes out! Then you won't be able to read the new updates and find out what they are!**

**SummerSpirit18: I watched a few episodes of Supernatural, it's pretty good! Read the chapter, your questions will be answered.**

**dont get too close: Thanks. Don't miss this one.**

** 8839: That was the point.**

**uracow99: A lot of people believe that hallucinations are actually ghosts. I think some are, and some are just hallucinations.**

**DianaXMattew3: Yeah, um, read the chapter.**

**I don't own Percy Jackson or Whatsername by Green Day. I do own Miss Greene and Dr. Nancy Wright.**

**Chapter 7 – Burn All of the Photographs**

_Seems that she disappeared without a trace__**  
**__Did she ever marry old what's his face?__**  
**__I made a point to burn all of the photographs__**  
**__She went away and then I took a different path__**  
**__I remember the face but I can't recall the name__**  
**__Now I wonder how whatsername has been_

– Whatsername_, Green Day_

"I didn't like her," Nico said as he climbed into the car.

Hades smiled. "I know," he answered in Italian. "But it was good for us to go."

Nico shrugged and stared out the window as Hades started the car.

"Gelato?" Hades asked, trying to change the subject. He didn't like talking about Nico's friends.

Nico looked back at him and grinned. For a moment Hades was reminded of the boy his son used to be, before he'd met Thalia, before they'd left Italy. They never should have left Italy.

As Nico began chatting about what flavor he wanted and what he was going to put on it, Hades realized that Nico still was that little boy. There was nothing wrong with his son, and there never had been. Nico was normal, in fact he was even more normal than Bianca had been. At ten, Bianca would have rather stayed in her room reading. She'd been solemn and serious, much more mature than other children her age. Nico liked to play games, he liked to talk, he was energetic and lively. He didn't like spending time with other people, but he was fine with playing by himself.

Except he wasn't playing by himself. But how could such a normal, happy little boy have something so terribly wrong with him?

There was another answer.

Hades believed in ghosts. He'd felt his wife's spirit more than once. And he believed that some people could talk to the dead. Maybe his son was one of them.

But there had never been anybody named Thalia or Percy or Annabeth who lived in their apartment, or in any of the apartments in their building. Hades had checked. And ghosts didn't grow or change. Nico had made it clear that his "friends" had grown from five- and six-year-olds to ten-year-olds.

His next thought was demons. Hades had been raised by a devoutly religious mother. As they pulled up in front of the little gelato shop that they both loved and went inside to order, he considered this idea. Demons were evil. The people Nico talked to were nice. They helped him.

But some demons were also tricky. They deceived people. They played games with the mind. Making friends with a small child was exactly something that they would like to do. Once they had the child's trust, they would destroy his life, torment him, until finally he had to be locked away in a mental hospital until he died.

"Papa, I want chocolate," Nico said, taking Hades' hand in his own small one, and Hades smiled and nodded.

Hades trusted doctors. He understood that some people saw things that really weren't there. They had problems that could be fixed with therapy. But he knew his son. And while Nico was different from other children his age, he wasn't crazy. Whoever, _whatever_ these people were, they weren't natural, but they were real. And they wanted to hurt his little boy.

There were ways to get rid of demons, he knew. It wasn't easy. It was better done by a priest. But Hades didn't know any priests, it had been so long since he'd gone to church. God, church. He should have gone. Maybe if Nico had been raised more Catholic they wouldn't be in this mess.

Hades closed his eyes and mentally shook his head. It didn't matter now, they couldn't change it. He didn't know any priests, so he'd have to do it himself.

"Come on, Nico," he said, interrupting the story his son was telling him about some boy in his class who had eaten an entire cake in one sitting. He stood up. "We can finish in the car. Bianca's waiting."

Nico was his son. It was up to him to protect his family.

* * *

"Hey, little man, how'd the doctor's go?" Percy asked when Nico walked in.

"What did he ask?" Thalia growled. She was standing next to the window with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face.

Nico shrugged and sat down on the bed with Percy. "It was a she," he told Thalia, "and she asked the same things that Miss Green did."

"What did you say?" Thalia uncrossed her arms and stepped closer.

"Thalia," Annabeth said, her tone harsh, from the desk chair. "Shush! Don't worry, Nico. It doesn't matter what you told her." She glared at Thalia as if daring her to comment. Thalia didn't.

"I didn't say anything bad," Nico promised. "She asked a lot about school and Mama and Papa. Not as much about you."

Thalia eyed him warily for a few seconds. Then she sighed and her face relaxed. "I'm sorry," she said, looking at the ground. "I trust you. I know you didn't say anything bad."

Nico smiled up at her. "Don't worry, Thalia. You told me not to say anything. I won't."

* * *

It was nearly midnight. It had to be done at midnight. The witching hour. Hades' mother hadn't told him much about these things, but he knew that the most powerful spells (he'd been told never to call them magic – they were God's work) had to be done at midnight.

Hades took a breath and turned the knob on Nico's door. The door squeaked when he opened it, but Nico had always been a sound sleeper. Thunderstorms couldn't wake him up. A squeaky door certainly wouldn't.

Shutting the door behind him, Hades stepped towards the bed. He set the jar he was holding on Nico's bedside table. From his right pocket he pulled an iron cross on a black cord. From his left he pulled a silver pin. He put the cross next to the jar on the table. With the pin he pricked his finger, wincing slightly. He leaned over his son. "Gloria in Excelsis Deo," he whispered, drawing a cross in his blood on Nico's forehead. "Psallite Domino qui fertis super caelum caeli ad Orientum."

Nico shifted slightly and hummed in his sleep.

Around Hades the air seemed to move, as if someone or something had suddenly appeared. But the room still looked empty. It grew somehow darker, and the temperature dropped.

Glancing around nervously, Hades picked up the jar from the table and took off the top. He took a pinch of the gray ashes inside and began sprinkling them in a circle around himself. "Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica porestas, omnis malum est."

A breeze ruffled Hades' hair. He looked around. The windows were all closed. The lights from the city streets were hidden beneath a veil of darkness and Hades shivered from the sudden cold. He took a deep breath and continued sprinkling the ashes. "Ego praecipio tibi, in nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sanctus…" the breeze turned into a wind, with papers drifting across the floor and books rustling on the shelves, "…cessa decipere humanas creaturas."

Hades picked up the iron cross and held it in front of him, "Invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomine…" Nico began to whimper and trash in his sleep. The wind picked up and books began flying off shelves, but nothing hit Hades within the ash circle. The whimpers turned into sobs and cries, "…quem inferi tremunt."

Around him, Hades saw flashes of shadowy people. They moved at a dizzying speed, shapes of people, sometimes young children, sometimes older, teenagers maybe. Smoky features, pale faces and dark clothes. Only their eyes were clear, and they were the most terrifying things Hades had ever seen. Three sets, one the color of an electric sky, one like molten silver, and one a stormy sea. "Abi daemon!" he finished.

For a moment the wind continued, the people flashing around faster and faster until they were just streaks of smoky beings and bright, terrifying eyes. Suddenly Nico's mouth opened in a scream that didn't seem to come from him, but from the three figures in the room. Nico's back arched as the screams continued. Hades dug his fingernails into his hand to keep himself from reaching out to touch his son, to comfort him. It would all be ruined if he left the circle.

For what seemed like an eternity the screams continued, Nico writhing on the bed, until all of it – the screams, the wind, the darkness, the cold – just stopped. The light came back, the temperature rose, the books and papers fell in piles around the room. Nico lay back on his bed, fast asleep, the red cross still painted on his olive forehead.

Hades let out a breath of air. Crossing himself and looking up at the ceiling he whispered, "Benedictus Deus. Gloria Patri."

Then he rubbed away the blood cross from his son's forehead with a few drops of water from the glass on Nico's bedside table. He smoothed Nico's hair back, kissed him, and left the room.

Now Nico would be safe.

* * *

"Hi, Niccolo," the man in the wheelchair said when Nico had shut the door behind him. "I'm Dr. Brunner, but you can call me Chiron."

"Nico," Nico muttered, sitting on the couch (again with the couches) and looking down at his hands.

"Sorry, Nico," Chiron corrected himself. "So, do you know why you're here?"

Nico nodded. "Dr. Wright thinks I need it 'cause I have friends you can't see."

"Well, that's part of it. Can you tell me about your friends?"

Nico looked up at the doctor. He was a nice looking man with brown hair and brown eyes and a red plaid blanket covering his legs in the chair. He was thin, but not skeletal.

"They're gone."

Chiron blinked. "Gone?" he asked.

Nico nodded. "The day after I went to see Dr. Wright. I woke up and they were gone."

**The exorcism spell was based on things I found online, but mostly it's things that I came up with. I'm not going to provide a translation. You can look it up on Google Translate if you want. That being said, if anyone has a better grasp on Latin than I do then feel free to correct me.**

**I hope everyone had a great week. We have Midterms next week, guess how much I'm looking forward to that. I have Biology and Trigonometry exams on the same day. Then Ancient World and French the second day, Algebra II and American Literature the third day, and Culinary and Chorus the fourth day. And I'm pretty sure I'm going to fail the Chorus exam because my group can't work together. We're terrible. And there's this one girl who refuses to listen to anyone else. She also thinks that Midterms and Finals aren't very important.**

**I can't leave a long author's note this week, sorry. I need to go home and babysit my brother and sister. But I hope you all like the chapter!**

**Quote of the Week:**** "You are not cool enough to be a gummy bear." My sister, when we were in the car coming home from Massachusetts. She's a mean person. I'm totally cool enough to be a gummy bear.**

******Review and go read the newest chapter of Along the Way!**


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